Humbert survives late-night thriller to end losing run in Paris

Ugo Humbert needed more than two and a half hours and the match finished well after midnight, but he gave the home crowd at the Paris Masters what it wanted. The Frenchman beat Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-3 in the last match of Monday's schedule. The win ended a run of four straight defeats.

The match was a close contest between two players ranked side by side in the high 30s. It was also the first match Humbert had won in Paris since his run to the 2024 final, where he lost to Alexander Zverev. Humbert has now beaten Van de Zandschulp in all six of their meetings.

Six points in a row to turn the opener

The start did not suggest a comfortable night for the left-hander. Humbert dropped serve early in the first set, and the opener was scrappy from both sides. He recovered the break to force a tie-break, then fell 5-1 behind in it. From there he won six points in a row to take the set, according to TennisActu.

The second set was just as tight and went to another tie-break. This time Van de Zandschulp held on. The Dutchman saved two match points and took the breaker 11-9, sending the match into a deciding set as the clock passed midnight.

Calm in the decider

Many players would have been rattled after missing two match points, especially with four straight losses behind them. Humbert stayed calm. He opened up a gap in the middle of the third set and served it out to win 6-3, completing a gruelling 2-hour-38-minute win.

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The win matters beyond one round. Humbert arrived in Paris with questions about his form, including how well he was playing indoors, after four consecutive defeats. Beating a player ranked right next to him, in a match that tested his nerve as much as his tennis, gives him some momentum for the last weeks of the season. It also means a second match at the event where he had his best Masters 1000 run two years ago.

Strong day for the French

Humbert was not the only home player to win on the first day. Luca Van Assche beat Mariano Navone 6-3, 7-5 to reach the second round in Paris for the first time. In doubles, wildcards Quentin Halys and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, and Benjamin Bonzi and Arthur Rinderknech, also won. It was not a perfect day for the French, though. Wildcards Kyrian Jacquet and Titouan Droguet both lost to qualifiers, against Tomáš Macháč and Alex Molčan.

Humbert's next opponent will be the winner of the match between 14th seed Brandon Nakashima and Matteo Berrettini. Humbert has a perfect 4-0 record against Nakashima, so another home-crowd night in Paris could follow.